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Arts & Sports
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 — 7A
STYLE NOTEBOOK
‘IRIS’ doc follows
iconic fashionista
Iris Apfel still
vibrant in new
documentary
By CARLY COLONNESE
Daily Arts Writer
“IRIS” is a documentary
about Iris Apfel, a 93-year-
old fashion icon and style
chameleon. The film opens with
Apfel telling us how she dresses
herself on a daily basis. While
dressed in mix-match prints
and donning an abundance
of
bracelets,
Iris
pointedly
proclaims, “I like individuality
— it’s so lost these days, so
much sameness … I hate it …
whatever.” Directed by 88-year-
old
Albert
Maysles
(“Grey
Gardens”), this documentary
aspires to tell the extravagant
life, ceaseless creativity and
style inspiration of Iris Apfel.
Apfel was born in 1921 in
Queens, New York to business-
oriented
parents.
Her
dad
owned a glass and mirror
business, and her mother ran
a fashion boutique. Inspired
by the likes of her parents,
and after marrying Carl Apfel,
the couple launched a textile
business, Old World Weavers.
Century-old fabrics served as
inspiration for the intricately
vintage-esque styles created by
the Apfels. The couple retired in
1992 and sold the textile firm to
Stark, which now sells carpets,
rugs, fabrics and furnishings.
Iris’s phone rings, showing
that despite her old age, she
stays busy. She undertakes
many
activities,
such
as
dressing women at the local
Loehmann’s,
talking
to
students from the Fashion
Institute
of
Design
&
Merchandising and dressing
her husband Carl in a studded
snapback in Florida.
Old
World
Weavers
and
the
travel-heavy
lifestyle
transcended
not
only
her
career, but also her style.
Cultural pieces from around
the
world,
bright
colors
and loud prints continue to
inspire Iris on a daily basis.
She is seen throughout the
entire documentary wearing
extravagant
outfits,
full
of
color, rare furs, jeweled in
armfuls of bracelets and heavily
layered necklaces, all topped off
with her iconic thick circular
glasses. Iris’ vast wardrobe —
accumulated
from
thrifting,
bargaining and gifting from
top designers — takes up nearly
two rooms in her Manhattan
apartment.
As someone who tends to
shy away from colors and find
aesthetic as being the most
important, I can’t relate or see
myself wearing what Iris does,
but I wholeheartedly respect
her. It takes a certain coolness
and skill to dress the way she
does. Though at first glance
Iris’s style is an overwhelming
abundance
of
color
and
prints, her style is something
completely her own. Yes, Iris
may be in her 90s, but her style
has recently taken a dive into
mainstream
society
because
individuality
stands
valued
in fashion — and Iris’s style is
definitely all about uniqueness.
It takes more than just clothes
to be stylish; most important is
confidence.
Due to her fame in the
fashion world and recognizable
style,
Iris’s
wardrobe
has
been displayed in numerous
museums in fantastical ways.
Her art exhibition has stood in
New York City’s Metropolitan
Museum of Art; Roslyn, New
York’s Nassau County Museum,
West
Palm
Beach’s
Norton
Museum of Art and Salem’s
Peabody Essex Museum (where
Iris has donated nearly 600
pieces from her wardrobe).
These shows take a worldly
approach
to
Iris’s
exotic
fashion sense by situating the
mannequins dressed in her
clothing in various settings
from around the world. My
favorite display was at the Met,
where curators put all animal-
print-inspired pieces in one area
among a plastic tiger wearing
the Iris-signature glasses.
The
documentary
makes
particular note of the Apfels’
ailing health. Personally, I was
under the impression that the
movie would purely be about
fashion and her unique style.
However, during filming, Iris
had hip surgery, and Carl was
in and out of the hospital. The
couple is slowly selling and
giving away some of their
prized possessions and clothing
items accumulated during their
world travels. The ever-present
notion of death isn’t uncalled
for, as Carl Apfel died shortly
after the documentary was
released, a couple days shy of
what would have been his 101st
birthday.
“IRIS” brings forth a more
personal look into the life of
Iris Apfel. Although she is most
known for her eccentric style
and fashion choices, to which
the documentary pays adequate
tribute to, the film shows that
Iris is a quick-witted, well-
traveled and intelligent woman
whose creativity has inspired
countless people. In today’s
society where beautiful, young
models are plastered all over
billboards and magazines, it’s
important to remember that
fashion and style have no age
limit. At 93, despite the ever-
present health issues in her life,
Iris Apfel is just as hip, stylish
and unique as any top model
today.
MAGNOLIA PICTURES
“Grandma, such big eyes you have!”
Irvin works way back from injury
By LEV FACHER
Managing Editor
After spending two months
rehabbing from a back procedure,
Zak Irvin finally seemed ready
for game action. Even if he wasn’t,
the list of factors preventing the
junior forward from seeing the
floor wasn’t supposed to include
LaVall Jordan’s fingers.
But
in
an
accident
thematically
consistent
with
the Wolverines’ injury-plagued
2014-15 campaign, the Michigan
assistant coach took Irvin out of
commission for a brief moment in
a recent practice by inadvertently
poking him in the eye.
“He was in the locker room
again with sort of a closed
eye,” said Michigan coach John
Beilein. “It’s been a rough thing
for him.”
In the end, Irvin escaped
the incident unscathed, and
returned to the court Monday
night in the Wolverines’ 88-68
win over Elon.
The comeback couldn’t have
come at a better time.
With
a
matchup
against
Xavier looming, then a trip to
the Bahamas that features games
against No. 19 Connecticut and
potentially Syracuse and No. 10
Gonzaga, the Wolverines can’t
afford to continue playing a
12-man rotation. Irvin’s return
to form, if it happens quickly,
could only help bring the image
of
the
starting
lineup
into
sharper focus.
Without Irvin, little was clear
for the Wolverines, who haven’t
established any semblance of
a consistent rotation. If Irvin
is capable of giving Michigan
quality minutes at the ‘3’ or ‘4’
positions, the roles of swingmen
like redshirt sophomore Duncan
Robinson
and
sophomore
Aubrey Dawkins become more
defined. The same is true for
power-forward
types
like
redshirt freshman D.J. Wilson
and
sophomore
Kameron
Chatman.
Beilein left the decision about
a timetable for first appearing in
game action up to Irvin.
“He came to me (Saturday)
and said he wanted to play,”
Beilein said. “I said, ‘Sleep on it.
First thing on Sunday, when we
start practice, tell me whether
you’re going to play.’ ”
Irvin
stuck
with
his
initial
decision,
but
was
underwhelming on offense in his
return, shooting 0-for-5 from the
field in 15 minutes played.
The shooting woes were of
no concern to Beilein, who said
he’s using different criteria to
evaluate
the
sharpshooting
junior as he works to make up for
lost time.
“Our defense changed the
minute he walked into that
game,” Beilein said. “I’m not,
anymore, measuring him by
whether he made 3s. I want to
measure him by his defense,
by his passing, all those things.
Him, as a shooter? That will all
come. I thought his shot looked
great. It just didn’t go in.”
Irvin said he fought nerves
initially, but felt comfortable
once he checked into the game
with 11:42 remaining in the first
half.
“(I felt) a little rusty out
there,” he said. “I was trying to
do other things on the defensive
end, trying to just share the ball
out there (on offense). I know the
shot will come.”
As is the case with senior
guard Spike Albrecht, Irvin’s
return is more a matter of fitness
and comfort than it is physical
limitation.
“Obviously, I’ve got to get back
in game shape,” Irvin said. “I’m
excited to get back out there
Friday (against Xavier).”
While
Irvin’s
presence
is
invaluable,
the
Wolverines
are faced with the difficult
task of folding him back into
their rotation against quality
opposition, having missed an
opportunity to do so in the three
early-season blowouts.
Nonetheless, the change is
a welcome one, even for the
players who likely benefited
from his absence and limitations.
Robinson, for instance, scored 19
points in 18 minutes on Monday,
and he played 18 minutes in an
exhibition against Le Moyne and
15 in the season opener against
Northern Michigan.
“It’s great to have him out
there,” Robinson said. “He’s
one of the best communicators
we have. … He’s been practicing
for a while, so just seeing him
back out there has been good.
I wouldn’t see any negatives in
that.”
RUBY WALLAU/Daily
Junior guard Zak Irvin shot 0-for-5 from the field in his season debut in 15 minutes played, but John Beilein wasn’t particularly concerned.
Wolverines’ depth allows
key players room for error
By BRAD WHIPPLE
Daily Sports Writer
At the end of the first half of
Sunday’s game against Detroit,
the Michigan women’s basketball
team turned around its initially
lackluster offense to go up 49-27
by halftime.
Sophomore guard Katelynn
Flaherty helped initiate a 30-11
run in the second quarter by
knocking down a jumper less
than a minute into the frame to
put the Wolverines up seven. But
that was her last basket of the
game, as Flaherty finished the
game with just 10 points.
It was undoubtedly an off
game for Flaherty, normally a
star. She failed to make a single
shot during the second half
and was called for her fourth
foul midway through the third
quarter. Her mid-range shots
continued to be blocked, which
occasionally caused a turnover,
and even her open shots at the
top of the key weren’t falling
right.
This wasn’t the Flaherty that
Michigan was used to, but it
survived despite her 4-for-13
shooting. The Wolverines sailed
to a 28-point victory over Detroit
with 12 players chipping in at
least one point.
“I think the strength of our
team, and you could see it today,
is (that) you have your best player
arguably in Katelynn Flaherty
(who) has an off day, and we still
score 88 points,” said Michigan
coach Kim Barnes Arico after the
victory.
Added senior guard Madison
Ristovski: “I don’t think that
we are a team made up of one
particular person that’s gonna
make or break us winning or
losing. (Everyone on this) team
brings something to the game
and has their own roles, and if
one person is down, someone else
is stepping up.”
Luckily for the Wolverines,
their lineup has enough depth
to not rely on Flaherty to hit
3-pointers. They can look to
some of the newcomers, even, to
take over the game. Freshman
forward
Hallie
Thome
took
the bulk of Michigan’s scoring
with 21 points, and some of
her classmates made strides
alongside her.
Freshman
guard
Boogie
Brozoski had a quick turnaround
from Saturday to Sunday, going
from one assist and six turnovers
to one turnover and six assists.
On top of Brozoski’s seven points
Sunday, freshman forward Sam
Trammel added eight of her own,
making an immediate impact
off the bench and proving that
Barnes Arico has options to fall
back on.
“Sam came in off the bench
after probably sitting for 45
minutes and dove for a loose
ball at halfcourt,” Barnes Arico
said. “We need to be willing to
do those things. We need to sell
out, to buy in, to get on the floor
to scrap and claw, because every
possession is important.”
In
keeping
with
the
importance
of
possession,
Michigan made each one count
by relying on strong defense-to-
offense transition, which allowed
just a few seconds to tick off the
shot clock.
According to Ristovski, it’s the
Wolverines’ greatest strength,
and they prefer not to take it slow
to set up a play — even if they can.
Michigan’s transitional offense,
alongside a breadth of skill
coming off the bench, allowed
the Wolverines to take over and
go on multiple runs, including
the explosive 8-0 run within the
first three minutes of the second
quarter.
But that’s not to say Michigan
has no room for improvement.
Against Detroit, the transition
was much cleaner than Saturday’s
outing against Binghamton, when
the Wolverines made numerous
passing errors off the fast break.
Barnes Arico said improvements
— such as handling the ball
properly — would fall in place
as players get more comfortable
together.
“(Our transition offense) is
definitely going to get better,”
Barnes Arico said. “When you
play fast like that, sometimes
you have the tendency to be
a little loose with the ball, so
that’s something we’re going to
emphasize this week at practice
— valuing each possession.”
Aside from the transition,
Michigan
also
flexed
its
rebounding muscle. Utilizing the
depth of its roster, four different
players, two of whom were
guards, contributed six rebounds
each to out-rebound Detroit,
53-23.
The prerequisite of being a
guard for Barnes Arico is the
ability to rebound the basketball
and to be scrappy under the
basket. It’s another component
of how deep Michigan’s roster is,
and makes the rest of the season
look promising.
So even if a player isn’t on
top of her game, the Wolverines
shouldn’t fret. They can just look
to someone else to do the job.
RITA MORRIS/Daily
Katelynn Flaherty didn’t have her best game Sunday at Detroit, but her teammates picked up the slack.